Stimuli-responsive aqueous microgels: properties and applications

Abstract

Water-soluble microgels have been known for over than three decades. Initially introduced as thermoresponsive polymer colloids with tunable softness, these macromolecular objects become a versatile platform for a broad range of potential applications due to the bursting growth of the diversity of their chemical architecture through the years. The recent progress in the design of stimuli-responsive microgels together with the notable examples of their applications is discussed in this paper.